Calypso. Reggae. Rock. Even classical. All those musical styles were on display at the Virginia International Pan Fest in early May. More than 50 Leon High School steel band members made the 12-hour bus trip to Virginia Beach to perform in the competition phase of the festival — and came home with the grand prize trophy.

Lion Steel’s director Mike Wendeln brought his two advanced bands to the festival, Canboulay and Bacchanal. After an almost-rained-out rehearsal the afternoon before, and an early morning set on the beach, the bands took the stage on Saturday, May 9, at the Seaside Paladium, an outdoor performance venue right beside the beach.

According to Wendeln, both bands tackled very challenging pieces, with Bacchanal playing “One More Soca,” “Chant,” and “Woman Is Boss,” and Canboulay performing “Brooklyn,” “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik,” and “Misbehave.”

“This festival includes some really serious competition, so when we attend we want to show off the best stuff we can. Each of our bands played a full-length piece originally written for the Trinidad national competition called ‘Panorama.’ We also included the piece by Mozart to show off the classical side of steel drum. These songs rank college-level for sure.”

When the awards were announced, Bacchanal’s scores placed them in the silver medal category, while Canboulay scored in the gold medal range. Canboulay was also named the winner of the high school division and a $250 prize. Then band members learned that Canboulay had also been chosen as the Grand Champion overall — the top band in any division. Wendeln, assistant director Shawn Fassig, and students in both bands rushed to the stage to celebrate and pick up a $1,000 check that will be used to support the steel pan program at Leon High.

“We practiced a lot before traveling to the competition, but there were still a few spots in the music that made me nervous,” said Canboulay member Rachel Scarboro, who plays the tenor pan. “On stage everything seemed to lock in. Our performance was definitely the best we had ever played the whole set. It was a wonderful way to end the trip and round out my senior year.”

The evening was capped off with a show by the world-famous Renegades Steel Orchestra and soloist Duvonne Stewart.

Wendeln has directed the steel band program at Leon High since 2009, and it now includes seven class periods each day for students from beginner through advanced levels. He also leads a small student ensemble called Pan Groove that is hired to play at special events such as banquets and weddings. The program even includes three adult community member bands that rehearse in the evenings at the “panyard” on Leon’s campus.

“Only a handful of high schools nationwide support a full day of steel band classes, so we are very fortunate,” said Wendeln.

For information, visit http://lionsteel.leonperformingarts.org or view videos of Lion Steel performances on YouTube.